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sistucker

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Hi, my name is Carolyn and my kitty is Buster. I just got the diagnosis of feline diabetes. First glucose reading is 456. I changed his diet to Purina DM until I can research other options and today I meet with the vet to start insulin. Based on a conversation with my vet I got ProZinc but after researching feline diabetes I also got a Lantus pen. It seems like Lantus is the preferred choice. I will talk to the vet today. I have a list of questions for the vet thanks to your site, not convinced she has an open mind to home testing. Today I will find out and I’m prepared to change if that’s the case. Needless to say I’m a bit overwhelmed but confident with time and knowledge all will be well.
 
Hi Carolyn! Welcome to you and Buster. You are absolutely correct, with time and knowledge all will be well -- and it sounds like you are off to a great start! Unfortunately, not all vets are knowledgeable about the value of home blood glucose testing or feline diabetes in general. My first vet was not supportive and kept recommending day-long "curves" done at his office as the only way to regulate my cat. He could not teach me how to home test Ninja as he had never done it himself; so with the recommendation of someone from this board I found a new vet in my area. Is the new vet perfect? No, but she is willing to work with me and learn -- rather than dictate treatment. Let us know how it goes after your vet visit. PS: here are two fantastic articles from veterinarian Dr. Lisa Pierson (a feline diabetic guru) about feline nutrition and what to feed your diabetic cat. The short answer is canned or wet low-carbohydrate food. Also note that dry food in general is bad for diabetic cats (spikes their blood sugar) and is not recommended, nor is "prescription" food. Best of luck!!!

http://www.catinfo.org/
http://www.catinfo.org/?link=felinediabetes

Here is an excerpt from Dr. Lisa's article on diabetes (referenced above):
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"Many cats that are in a diabetic state no longer need any insulin when they are finally fed an appropriate low-carbohydrate diet. Others will always need some insulin but the amount necessary to maintain proper blood glucose levels is nearly always significantly reduced once the patient is on a low carbohydrate diet.

Please re-read the previous two paragraphs carefully. If you change your diabetic cat's diet to one with lower carbohydrates, he will, in all probability, IMMEDIATELY (not days or weeks later) require a reduction in his insulin dosage. He may also immediately go into 'remission' and not need any insulin at all.

If this warning is ignored, you may very well end up with a cat in a hypoglycemic crisis (dangerously low blood sugar) which can result in death, or brain damage.

If you take only one point away from this page, it needs to be the understanding that if you stop pouring carbs into your cat by switching to a low-carb canned food diet (or even a dry food diet with lower carbs than you have been feeding), you MUST be aware of the probable immediate and significant impact on your cat's insulin needs."

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If you get to the point where you have to choose one insulin or the other, make sure to use the correct syringes. Prozinc is a U40 insulin and Lantus is a U100. The U40s normally come with red caps over the needle, while the U100s have orange caps. The packaging should be clearly marked.
Carl
 
Vet visit as well as expected, Buster got his first shot of Lantus! I have no fear of the shots, since I got the Lantus pen it makes it rather easy. Vet is on board with communicating outside the office with questions etc and the home testing, she had a cat with diabetes so she has a good understanding of the condition. But I have a question I forgot to ask:

1) Can I feed him in-between his big meals (prior to shots)? The poor guy is starving. I feed him 1 can of Purina Dm wet in the am and the pm. What about some food in-between?

Thanks to those who replied, I appreciate the information.
 
sistucker said:
1) Can I feed him in-between his big meals (prior to shots)? The poor guy is starving. I feed him 1 can of Purina Dm wet in the am and the pm. What about some food in-between?
Click to expand...

Free feed your diabetic cat. Unregualted diabetics are always hungry. Small frequent meals seems to be best for most diabetics. You can use a timed feeder so your cat can have meals when you are not at home.

With Lantus you do not want to feed 2 hours before the insulin shot. Doing so will cause a rise in blood glucose level. One of the Lantus stickies has more info: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9
 
Am I to understand that you are using the Lantus pen as is? My understanding is that it is difficult to dial cat-sized dosages. People here who use Lantus for their cats remove it from the pen using a U-100 syringe so that the dose is more controlled.

Please elaborate on how you are giving the insulin.

MJ
 
Hmm.. I am using the pentip to dispense, not a syringe. I have the U100 syringes but have not used them, are you saying this isn’t good? I heard this before. I have the Lantus dialed to 1cc. Perhaps tomorrow I will use the syringe. My cat is wobbly, as if his back legs are weak. I thought he would be better after a few days but he does not seem to be doing that, he eats like a healthy cat but is always tired and seems drunk.
 
The weak legs sound like nueropathy but the drunk sounds like a hypo- here is a link- How to treat, Hypos can kill:

http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewtopi ... 28&t=15887

Do you home test yet? I would suggest getting a human meter, Relion Micro or Confirm is a good, cheap strip meter and you can find it at any Wal-Mart. You can buy the syringes there, too. Make sure they have the half unit markings on them.
 
sistucker said:
Hmm.. I am using the pentip to dispense, not a syringe. I have the U100 syringes but have not used them, are you saying this isn’t good? I heard this before. I have the Lantus dialed to 1cc. Perhaps tomorrow I will use the syringe. My cat is wobbly, as if his back legs are weak. I thought he would be better after a few days but he does not seem to be doing that, he eats like a healthy cat but is always tired and seems drunk.
Click to expand...

With Lantus, dose increases are made in .25u-.5u increments (most commonly .25u increments), which is impossible to do with the pe-tips since they only let you shoot doses in whole units. Most cats on a low carb canned diet never need much more than 1u of Lantus, so increasing the dose in whole units commonly leads to chronic insulin overdosing. With Lantus, you want to get at least 3 tests a day to determine the correct dose--once before each shot, and then a test about 6 hours after the shot to see how low the insulin is bringing down your cat's blood sugar. Dose adjustments are made based off of the mid-cycle tests.

So this is why you want to use syringes to draw the insulin out of the pen instead of the pen-tips. The best syringes to use are .3cc, 5/16", 31-33g with half unit markings. These are the same syringes that are used for small children that are diabetic because they also need very small insulin adjustments. I would urge you to check out the stickies in the Lantus forum: http://felinediabetes.com/FDMB/viewforum.php?f=9. There's a wealth of valuable information and tips about the insulin you're using.
 
Welcome, Carolyn to both you and Buster.

Are you home testing? If so, could you please test Buster? The wobbling is a little concerning and the best way to know if this is due to low blood glucose levels is to test. If you're not home testing, please give Buster something to eat and see if you can get Buster to the vet for a test.

None of us who use the pens use the pen tip to dispense Lantus. Julia gave you an excellent explanation as to why.
 
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